Students can apply for admission in September 2020 to University of South Wales for the MSc Data Science award + 3 month industry placement. All students on the award undertake collaborative projects for their dissertation, so have the opportunity to do a 3 month placement in industry with a company, greatly improving job prospects.
Students at USW had projects in a range of industries from financial services and insurance, to public sector and healthcare with both large organisations and smaller tech start-ups. This year USW will see projects from Visa, Government organisations such as Welsh Audit office, as well as Utilities companies such as Welsh Water and NHS Wales.
At USW, you will work towards a globally recognised qualification, the SAS Joint Certificate in Applied Statistics and Data Mining. The Joint Certificate will validate your skills and ability to use SAS software, giving you a competitive advantage in the job market. On the MSc Data Science course, you will have the opportunity to work on a real-world data science project in collaboration with an industry partner. You will develop analytical and practical data science skills to solve real-world business problems and utilise industry-led software and cutting edge techniques. The MSc Data Science is designed to support your development of transferable skills and expertise to play a leading role at a technical and practical level in the industry. You will begin by strengthening your knowledge in Statistics and Computing. You will then study more advanced topics: Data Mining, Statistical Forecasting and Machine Learning. You will also undertake study Data Engineering, learning about Big Data technologies, and Project Management and Research Methodology, to give a solid foundation to your soft skills. During the course, you will use popular Data Science tools such as Python, R, and SAS.
The MSc Data Science course is delivered through a series of practical classes and workshops where you will have the opportunity to put into practice what you have learnt via hands-on exercises and design projects. The Data Science Masters offers a flexible approach to learning, allowing you to study full-time, part-time or through continuing professional development (CPD) for working professionals. The CPD route is an accessible pathway for employers to equip staff with further training opportunities to work towards a postgraduate qualification. You will be taught by active researchers and leading professionals exposing you to current real-world problems, methodologies, and industry-standard techniques and software.
The course is suitable for graduates with a minimum 2:2 Honours degree or equivalent in a numerate discipline across any STEM or business subject. Relevant industry experience can also be taken into account. The course welcomes international applicants and requires an English level of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component or equivalent.
Employment prospects are strong in this rapidly growing and demanding industry. There are a number of careers available to those trained in data science – students could go on to be data scientists, statistics officers, business analysts, predictive modellers or computer programmers, these will continue to grow as organisations are required to adapt to improving technologies.